Bolivian and Peruvian farmers are the top producers of the world’s biggest super-food-quinoa-which is also gluten-free and packed with protein. I can’t believe I have not discovered this sooner. The more I read about this super seed that cooks like a grain, the more I want to try all the ways one can fix it. Continue reading →

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Girl gone green. These days I am looking for healthier and more exciting ways to cook traditionally heavy-laden fattening Latin American food. Now I know that along the coastal regions of the Latin Americas there are lots of freshly caught fish, just picked juicy mangoes, and garden sunset squash. Yet, the opposite is also true, there is also an abundance of cheesy saucy enchiladas, hot fried flautas, and smashingly tasty double-fried tostones.

So in search of green, vegetarian and healthy enter tonight’s feature-Chiles Rellenos with corn. Read how the traditionalists do it- stuff with cheese, meat with mild spices, raisins and sometimes nuts; coat the chiles in an egg batter and flour mixture and deep fry.

Enter the above-I stuffed dark green chiles with cheese, roasted corn, and scallions; dipped the chiles in milk and then bathed them in an egg wash and tossed the chiles into a cornmeal and bread crumb mixture- and baked them. And get this-the best part-ready? My husband a huge meat eater said of all the LA (Latin American) dishes I have made- he said it was the best one yet! What??!?!?

The recipe is from the Mexican tradition and comes from one of my LA cookbooks Healthy Latin Cooking by Steven Raichlen- He is a great resource for grilling and using this kind of cooking method in LA cooking. I’m not gonna lie- it’s messy (messier in the traditional method too) but at least you will not have to stand in front of a stove frying the things…so that helps.

Coat the corn with non-stick spray (I just sprayed with water) and season with salt and pepper. Grill the corn or broil 4″ from the heat, turning occasionally for 2-3 minutes per side, or up to 12 minutes in all or until the kernels are well-browned. Transfer to a cutting board and let cool. When cool enough to handle, cut the kernels off the corn cobs and place in a medium bowl.

Meanwhile, roast the chile peppers over a flame, on the grill, under the broiler or stove top -turn every 3 minutes per side or until nicely charred. Transfer to a paper bag. Let cool for 15 minutes to loosen the skins. When cool enough to handle, transfer to a cutting board ad scrape off and discard the skin, using a paring knife (I did the best I could here as it was hard to scape off all of it). Wear plastic gloves when handling if you like. Set 6 of the chile peppers aside.

For the remaining 2 chile peppers, core, seed, and cut the flesh into 1/4″ pieces (wear plastic gloves when handling). Add to the corn kernels. Stir in the cheese, scallions, garlic, cilantro, or parsley and currants or raisins (if using). The mixture should be highly seasoned; taste and add more salt and pepper, if desired.

Carefully make a 2″ long lengthwise cut in each of the 6 reserved chile peppers, taking care not to tear the skin (wear plastic gloves when handling). Using a melon baller or spoon, scrape out the core and seeds, leaving the stem intact. Stuff each pepper with the corn mixture.

Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees.

Place the flour in a shallow bowl, the egg substitute or egg whites or egg replacer in a second bowl, and the bread crumbs and corn meal in a third bowl (mix together the meal and crumbs with your fingertips). Dip each chile first in the flour, shaking off the excess, then in the egg, then in the crumb mixture. Place the chiles on a non-stick baking sheet. Generously coat the tops of the chiles with non-stick spray. Bake for 20 minutes, or until golden brown and the filling is hot.

My additions: When this was done, I personally added more queso fresco on top and shredded cheese and topped off with Salsa and served with a side of black beans!! Perfecto!!

Cooking Tip: Poblano chile peppers are triangular-shaped; dark green chile peppers that have a definite bite. Most large supermarkets carry them in the produce section. If unavailable or if or if you prefer a milder dish, use Anaheim chile peppers or green bell peppers work well too.

True Fact: Venezuela is number 2 in the world when it comes to eating the most pasta. No lie. Number 1 billing goes to Italy. But this an avocado post, you say. I know. I like the idea of having an avocado with pasta (my personal favorite is penne-smooth kind). For a fast meal, try this sauce with a bit of angel hair pasta for a great vegan/vegetarian meal one night. Top it off with some tomatoes and voila, you have a a great Venezuelan dish. Typically this sauce is served with grilled meats but you can just as easily use it as a dip for tortilla chips. Any way you like it, it’s going to be good.

Guasacaca-Venezuelan Avocado Sauce-Venezuela

Source: Steven Raichlen’s “Healthy Latin Cooking”

1 large avocado, pitted, peeled, and coarsely chopped

1 small onion, coarsely chopped

1/2 green bell pepper, coarsely chopped

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro (adjust here for more or less depending on your taste)

1 clove garlic

1 1/2-2 tablespoons white vinegar

salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 cup water

In a food processor or blender, combine the avocados, onions, bell peppers, cilantro, garlic, vinegar, 1 tsp salt, black pepper and water. Puree until smooth. The mixture should be highly seasoned; taste and add more vinegar and salt, if desired.

Okra is in high season and showing off her glorious colors- puprle or green. Whatever the color, now is the time to get them and make something simple. I made a recipe from the cookbook The Latin America Kitchenby Elisabeth Luard. You may find that you have these ingredients in your kitchen. You can also substitute zucchini (which is also in season) for the okra.

Okra in tomato and chilli sauce (from The Latin American Kitchen)

“Okra, a member of the hibiscus family, is a pod-vegetable high in protein and well-endowed with vitamin C. Cultivated by the Ancient Egyptians and on the menu in Africa, throughout the Middle East and India ever since, it was imported to the Caribbean and Brazil as part of the slave-culture. The plant itself is tree-like annual with pretty yellow trumpet-shaped flowers, and the family includes the cotton-plant and the roselle, the raw material of sorrel, a refreshment popular in the West Indies at Christmas. The gloopy – mucilagenous – juices are liked by some and not by others others.”

Prepare the okra by trimming the stalks close to the pod. If you don’t enjoy their glueiness – and lots of people do – don’t hull, just trim off the stems, toss the pods with salt and a little vinegar and leave in a colander for an hour or two, when they will have yielded up their gloop, then rinse well before using.
Warm the oil in a heavy pan or casserole and gently fry the onion and garlic till soft – down let it brown. Add the tomato and chilli and bubble up, squashing with a wooden spoon to encourage a rich little sauce. Stir in the okra, add a glass of water, and bubble up. Turn down the heat, lid loosely and simmer for 30-40 minutes, till the pods are perfectly tender and the sauce deliciously rich and sticky. Or bake in the oven at 300F/160C/Gas2. Serve at room temperature, with quartered limes and malagueta-pepper sauce on the side.

Like this:

I am so thrilled that I MADE IT!!!! SIX months! Did you hear me scream from the rooftop? For so many reasons I am happy and ecstatic. I spent 6 months cooking in a tradition that bloody scared me. French cooking is intimidating even for the experienced cook and yet, I made a vow to not cook one or two dishes but I learned how to cook over 150 French dishes!!

I made almost all the traditional dishes like coq au vin, boeuf bourginon and lots of other well-known ones but also not so well-known others- like eggs and vinegar. chicken feet and potato dishes. For six months I thought, ate and breathed in French. I have often said that when I spend many hours learning a new cooking tradition, my cooking transforms me in a very natural sense. No longer was I saying “I am making a French dish”, instead, it was a dish that I happened to be cooking. So, I say au revoir to France and French cookery, but not goodbye to technique especially with sauces, and how I cook fish, chicken and beef. After all, au revoir means until I see you again!

BUT ¡Hola!! to Latin America. I started with reading recipes and shopping at my local Latin American markets. If I thought French food cooking was difficult… I forgot that a few years back when I focused on Mexico and the cooking tradition- how labor intensive the cooking was!! I think once I get a rhythm, I am going to bang out some platos fabuloso!

Tonight’s meal will be a Mayan dish of fish with an achiote paste and a citrusy glaze. Accompanying the fish I am making a garlic scented cabbage (cabbage grown by my friend) with a hint of red peppers. In honor of Argentina’s game right this very minute, check out my kick-off, kick-butt dish last week Argentinian Chicken (recipe will follow). It was a gooooooaaallllllll!!!! Go World Cup!!

I'm Kate and Finger, Fork and Knife is where I record the recipes that excite, nourish and inspire me. I focus on wholesome, high-nutrition, home-cooked food - recipes that satisfy and delight. Welcome!